Ex-Financial Times Journalist Tom Foremski @ the Collision of Technology and Media

31

March

2010

|

01:26 PM

America/Los_Angeles

BusinessWeek Editor Preps Media Launch May/June

John Byrne, the former editor of BusinessWeek, said he will begin launching his media venture in "May June" timeframe.

Mr Byrne's C-Change Media company has a focus on "content, curation, community."

"I'll be launching several satellite sites first, and then the mother ship later in the year," said Mr Byrne.

He was speaking after appearing on a panel discussing corporations becoming media companies, at the Horn Group offices Tuesday evening.

He said that each "satellite" site will focus on one area, mostly in business or finance, with one main editor and using freelancers for additional content.

I asked if he would use a Demand Media model for commissioning copy. Demand uses an algorithm to determine how much a page of content can generate in advertising revenue and then commissions the content. Rates are very low.

Mr Byrne said no, his organization would not take advantage of writers.

It appears that he still has a lot of work ahead. He wasn't very specific about the areas of coverage or financing. He said he was interested in talking with angel and VC investors.

"The business category [online] is less developed than general news, gossip, entertainment, sports, food, women's service, health," Byrne told WebNewser. "So there's a real open road to make something happen here. Smart people can make it happen very easily. The technology costs are low, so the barrier to entry is very low."

And he added: "Traditional media is blowing it. It doesn't understand what digital really is. Traditional media isn't going to invest in online media. That's why I think there's a wide open area here. The newcomer has incredible latittude to succeed. The incumbent is disadvantaged every possible way. And that's why I'm going after it."